Water Desalination and Purification Device

1. Water Desalination and Purification Device Rosa Mitsumasu Rebecca Wagner Kevin Harvey Jonathan Steffens

2. Description of Technology Solar Distillation Upward Wicking Materials

3. Device Subsystems • Housing • Wick Hanging Mechanism • Upward Wicking • Top Feed • Output Collection Rails • Reflectors (optional)

4. Housing • Evaporation and condensation • Materials • Acrylic or other available similar material – For all four sides • Wood and Plastic – Base • Use and Maintenance • Sides are sealed with silicone. • One of the sides is hinged on the bottom to open and close for use and maintenance purposes of the device. • Housing will need eventual cleaning (visual inspection)

5. Wick Hanging Mechanism • “Curtain” method • Wick folds over rod • Rod rests in top feed trough • Lower end of wick rests on basin • User friendly – wick will be easily exchanged by pulling out rod • Minimal vapor escapes from the rod

6. Top Feed/Input • Optional, additional feeding mechanism to maximize the use of the wick. • Dimensions of top feed mechanism will limit the amount of water fed to the wick. • Relies on visual inspection – dry upper portion of wick • CAD Drawing

7. Housing and Top Feed Mechanism 1.00 m 1.70 m

8. Upward Wicking • Use and maintenance • Basin will be filled periodically • Wick will need cleaning and eventual replacement • Basin will need to be cleaned. • Materials • Wick – Polyester (less variability, greater moisture uptake due to capillary radii) • Basin – Low density polyethylene (low cost, FDA compliant, available, ideal for high humidity)

9. System Integration

10. Reflectors • Optional subsystem to increase irradiation (i.e. winter) • One on each of the inclined sides. • Not attached to housing. • “Picture frame” • Material – • Tin foil for actual reflecting surface • Wood for support • Dimensions • Width – Same as housing inclined sides • Height – Half the width of the basin approximately • Angle – 45 degrees

11. Output Collection Mechanism Consists of: • Two rails, one attached to each inclined side of housing • Each rail at 30 degrees from housing sides • Gutters are slightly inclined to encourage water flow towards outlet • Lower end of rail is higher than basin’s top to avoid output contamination due to contact with water in basin. • Outlets • Holes on the front side housing. • Hoses connected into holes to funnel water output into clean container

12. Engineering Analysis • Problem Statement The desired water output of the still is dependent on available Solar Irradiation and maximizing the amount of evaporated water from the brine. • Unknown Variables

13. Engineering Analysis • Approach We will simultaneously solve our system of equations based on energy balances at the glass cover, the basin, and the wick to find the unknown temperatures. Using these values we will find our evaporation heat and subsequently the mass flow rate of distilled water. This mass flow rate will provide the daily output in liters or gallons

14. Engineering Analysis • Energy Balance of Glass • Energy Balance of Wick • Energy Balance of Basin

15. Engineering Analysis • Evaporation Mass Transfer • Condensation Mass Transfer

16. Instructions • On how to… • … Use • … Maintain • … Easily reproduce • English and Spanish

17. Risks • Heat transfer model • Sufficient output • Dimensions tentative

18. Bill of Materials

19. Questions?

20. Sources • Hikmet S. Aybar, Mathematical Modeling of an inclined solar water distillation system, Desalination, 2005. • Incropera, Frank, P., Dewitt, David P, Bergman, Theodore L., Lavine, Adrienne S., Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, 6th ed, John Wiley & Sons, 2007. • Simile, Chris B., Critical Evaluation of Wicking in Performance Fabrics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2004.